Vettel has posted some respectable results in that span, but his mistakes have been far too costly. His game-ender at Turkey with teammate Mark Webber is a well-documented example, but he also has committed costly errors in each of the past two events. When you couple that with a terrible first lap at Silverstone after starting on the pole, it's clear Vettel has not had the best of fortunes lately. Some have been self-inflicted, some maybe not. Either way, Vettel will have to be near perfect down the stretch if he wants to become the youngest F1 champion in history at age 23.

Fortunately for Vettel, Monza is the site of arguably his most impressive victory. In 2008, he dominated the competition from the pole in wet conditions en route to his first F1 victory, becoming the youngest winner in Formula One history.

The Monza circuit itself, which is remarkably fast in dry weather, will be hosting its 60th grand prix this weekend. Although the layout has changed through the years, the spirit of speed certainly has not. Some of the dangers have been eliminated by the addition of chicanes as well as the removal of the high-speed banked ovals long ago, but drivers know the inherent risks of racing here. It's a track that sadly has claimed the lives of many, including Jochen Rindt, Ronnie Peterson, Wolfgang von Trips and Alberto Ascari.

Despite Monza's extensive history, it has not been a place where Italian drivers have had much success. After all, it's remarkable, almost unthinkable, that an Italian driver has not won the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. Additionally, no Italian has even posted a fast lap there since Michele Alboreto in 1988. With Vitantonio Liuzzi and Jarno Trulli as the only representatives from Italy in this event for 2010, that trend isn't likely to change.

It wasn't always this way, though. The first three Italian Grand Prix events saw native drivers take the checkered first. In 1950, Nino Farina won en route to claiming the inaugural F1 world championship. The next two years, Italian Alberto Ascari was victorious. Ascari was also in great position to win the 1953 edition of the race before a last-lap accident cost him the win.

In recent years, this is a race that has emphasized qualifying even more than normal. In the past 12 years at Monza, the winner has emerged from the front row 10 times. In that span, the pole sitter has come away victorious eight times. The only exceptions to the front-row dominance have come in 2002 and last year (both were won by Rubens Barrichello).

Lastly, Spa winner Lewis Hamilton will look to complete his set of victories on the four most historic F1 tracks (Monaco, Monza, Silverstone and Spa) when he heads to Monza. The iconic Italian circuit is the only one of the four he has not won at, and, after his latest win, he told his official website, "I've always looked at those four circuits on the calendar as being a little more special than the others." If he does win this weekend, he'll join a rather exclusive list, as only five drivers have won all four of the most prestigious Formula One races (David Coulthard, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna).